


Fuck Quarantine

by Books in the Blood (WholockHobbit88)



Category: Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment RPF
Genre: Andrew is low key a softie, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Quarantine, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:08:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24913612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WholockHobbit88/pseuds/Books%20in%20the%20Blood
Summary: After shooting the take out episode, Steven gets sad and admits to Andrew how hard quarantine has been for him. When he tells Andrew that the thing he misses most is hugs, Andrew realizes how lonely he too is. And since Steven is the person who suddenly makes him want a hug, Steven will be the one to remedy the situation.
Relationships: Andrew Ilnyckyj & Steven Lim
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	Fuck Quarantine

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the white board in Steven's house in that one episode on the Watcher that said something like after quarantine he'd never take a hug for granted. Steven's a softie.....Andrew's a softie......this fic is just soft in general. Hope you enjoy it!

It had been a good dinner; great really. Quarantine sucked a bit but it wasn't every day you could eat from an entire family meal just for yourself. And Andrew had never been able to shoot a Worth It episode in a suit jacket and shorts. So he supposed there were some perks. And he and Steven had had a good time laughing and carrying on; it was almost like they were together again. So Andrew was feeling quite good as they ended shooting. That's why he couldn't understand why Steven, who was so happy minutes ago, now seemed so down.

"Steven...what's up? You look like your dog just died or something" Andrew prodded gently.

Steven stared down at the half eaten plates, getting a deep sad look in his eyes Andrew didn't usually see. Steven was normally so upbeat. "This sucks..."Steven eventually said.

"What does?" Andrew asked. He didn't know what had so abruptly changed.

"This does...everything does" Steven said, his voice rising to a slightly more hysterical pitch.

Andrew was confused; Steven wasn't normally like this. "I thought you enjoyed the dinner" Andrew said feeling lame; he knew that couldn't be what was bothering Steven but could see Steven would have to be prodded to speak more.

"I did!" Steven was quick to say, looking up at Andrew but his expression was pained. He quickly looked down into the half eaten dishes. "It's just…..well…quarantine sucks! I'd rather we were out eating this meal together…..in a restaurant…..like things were normal…like we used to"

Andrew nodded along as Steven talked; he didn't know what to say but he totally understood. Steven wasn't the first person to feel the pains of quarantine and lack of life as we knew it. Actually, it seemed that Steven was handling it a lot better than some other people he had seen among social media. He hadn't done anything crazy like shave his head or start drinking a box of wine a day. But as Andrew looked at the sad, almost depressed look on Steven's face, he supposed that that didn't matter; he might have seemed normal but that didn't mean he wasn't battling something deep down. Andrew shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Yeah, man….quarantine does suck" Andrew agreed. "But I think we're doing the best we can to make the most of it."

Andrew knew it wasn't much comfort; he expected Steven to mope more in response to his lack of help. But he what he wasn't expecting was Steven's sudden outburst.

"Nothing's the same anymore!" Steven burst out, beating his fist on the table. "One day, everything was fine and then the next the whole world is different! I hate it! I miss going out to eat….I miss concerts…..I miss movies and people…..I miss seeing peoples' smiles…I miss people not being afraid to touch each other…I miss doing this show…I miss you and Adam."

Andrew flopped back in his chair; he suddenly felt a bit defeated and empty. Steven's outburst made him uncomfortable in more ways than one. He wasn't exactly good at knowing what to say when people were upset and especially when nothing he could say could possibly be of any consolation. But what was even more uncomfortable was the fact that as soon as Steven had said all that, Andrew realized that that was exactly what HE was feeling. He'd tried to ignore it, tried to keep busy during this time so he didn't have to stop and acknowledge that really…..deep down…..he was feeling quite lonely. Andrew wasn't as nearly social as Steven was so he could only imagine how much the lack of social interaction was messing with him. Andrew liked his alone time but damn…..there were a few places he had liked going. And talking to other humans on a regular basis and seeing people's entire faces without a mask on was a plus. Andrew cringed a bit…..his stomach churned with the deep thump of loneliness; what was he supposed to do with this knowledge now? It wasn't as if he could go anywhere or do anything to quell his sense of loneliness.

"I'm sorry, Steven…I don't know what to say" Andrew said lamely after they had sat in silence for what felt like three minutes, the silence heavy with their shared despair. "I feel that too. I'm…..I'm lonely too"

Steven nodded slowly, as if somewhat relived that Andrew felt the same way. But his eyes clenched and the sorrow on his face deepened and Andrew just hoped that he didn't cry or something because Andrew wasn't sure what his reaction to that would be.

"It sounds pathetic….but….I'd just about kill for a hug right now" Steven said, his voice barely a whisper. Thank God he didn't cry; he simply laid his head down on the table as if somehow defeated.

Andrew was kind of glad because it gave him a minute to compose himself. Because damn if he didn't actually feel his throat begin to tighten and his eyes burn as if were going to CRY himself and what the fuck was up with that? Had he really been so good lately at burying his own feelings that he'd pushed down so much despair that just the idea of someone actually wrapping their arms around him and hugging him, REALLY hugging him, was trying to bring him to tears?

They sat there in silence for a while. Andrew couldn't speak; even the silence FELT depressing. When Steven finally looked up, his eyes were glassy but he seemed to have come to his senses a bit. He attempted to smile but it looked more like a grimace.

"Geez…..I don't know why I said that. Must have been the sake" he said as if embarrassed, not quite meeting Andrew's gaze. He hunched over, as if trying to fold into himself.

But Andrew knew it had nothing to do with the sake at all.

He only met Andrew's eyes when Andrew finally found his voice, quiet as it was.

"A hug would be really nice right now, Steven"

*****

Well…..I'm REALLY doing this…..I'm really doing this and I'm an idiot…Andrew thought as he drove, the setting sun casting a beautiful glow that did not fit Andrew's mood. The conversation hadn't lasted long with Steven before he ended the call. Steven had grown self-conscious at his oversharing and Andrew didn't know what to say so they had just stuttered out goodbyes and quickly disconnected. Andrew had quickly tried to busy himself by packing away all of the leftovers into his fridge but that deep, dark knot of loneliness simply would not go away. Steven's words and his vulnerability had unlocked something in him that wouldn't go away. Next thing he knew, he was in his car driving to Steven's house.

As Andrew parked in Steven's driveway, he was suddenly aware that he was sweaty…very sweaty. It wasn't quite as bad as Japan-sweaty but it was pretty bad. He just hoped his pit stains weren't so noticeable Steven thought he was gross or that he started asking why he was so sweaty. Because Andrew didn't know why; all he knew was that it was Steven's fault he suddenly needed a hug and Steven was going to fix it.

Before he could doubt himself or sweat further down his shirt Andrew forced himself out of the car and toward Steven's front door. Feeling his heart thump hard against his chest, he knocked on Steven's door a little harder than he meant to.

A tense minute passed before Steven opened the door. He was no longer in his dinner suit but dressed for quarantine in pajama pants and a hoodie that matched his blue hair. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes slightly red but when he saw Andrew, he wished he could have taken a picture of the look of surprise on his face. He burst into a wide grin as if seeing him was the best thing but didn't make any motion to move toward him; damn social distance….

"Andrew!" Steven said brightly, "What are you doing here? I'm surprise because of quarantine…"

But Andrew couldn't take it anymore. Because Steven being here, right in front of him, real and smiley made him lose his patience.

"Fuck quarantine" Andrew said bluntly and half a second later he had wrapped his arms around Steven in a crushing hug.

It wasn't much at first. Because he'd surprised Steven and basically hug attacked him, he was just gripping Steven, whose arms remained hanging limp at his sides. And for an impossibly long 30 seconds Steven didn't react at all but a small gasp of surprise as soon as Andrew touched him.

Andrew was internally freaking out in those thirty seconds. Maybe Steven was weirded out that Andrew would hug him. Maybe he thought he was gross and smelled like body odor. Maybe he thought he was rude for just showing up and not respecting social distancing rules.

But then all thoughts were dashed from his head because at that moment he could feel the muscles in Steven's body relax and he wrapped his arms around Andrew, squeezing pleasantly tightly.

Now Andrew could relax; Steven wasn't going to reject him. He could just enjoy the first hug he'd had in too many weeks.

All the muscles in Andrew's body went limp and jellylike and it was almost as if Steven noticed because he squeezed Andrew tighter when he did, laying his head gently against Andrew's shoulder; Andrew's head was in that warm place between Steven's shoulder and neck, where he could breathe in Steven's scent of mingled laundry soap, musk and ramen. It might have been weird in other circumstances but right now Andrew didn't feel weird at all. He felt good...damn good. That aching, dark place that had begun to grow inside him when he realized he was lonely was now disappearing and he just focused on the sensation of Steven's arms around him, as if the pressure was holding him together. Andrew wasn't a hugger but he didn't want let go; he was glad Steven was a hugger and he made no move to let go.

"Andrew...you're the best...you're amazing" Steven enthused, hugging Andrew tighter and bouncing a little in his way he did when he was almost too excited to contain himself.

Andrew blushed a little but Steven couldn't see it. He always was a bit embarrassed when Steven threw such lavish compliments at him. But secretly he loved the praise. He couldn't help but smile like an idiot and feel a warmth feeling spread through his chest.

"Oh…..well…..you know, it was really your fault with all that talk about hugging…well…..what was I supposed to do?" Andrew said dismissively; he was too flustered to do anything but joke. He still didn't let go.

Andrew knew that if he looked at Steven he would see him with that sly grin he had when he knew he was right. "You're just a big softie, Andrew. I love it" Steven enthused.

Andrew couldn't help but grin again; the praise, the tighter squeeze, the excited little jump from Steve. Hell, who was he to disagree? Maybe he WAS a softie. There were worse things to be.

"Yeah…..maybe I am a softie. But I still think you made me that way" Andrew said. He remembered how awkward and shy he had deep down felt when he and Steven had started working together. He also remembered how bit by bit Steven Lim had wound his way into Andrew's defenses and made him goofier, happier, less awkward, more open and yes, probably, more of a softie.

Andrew was aware of their chests pressed against each other, how warm it was and how he could feel Steven's heart beat close to his own heart. It calmed him….made him feel like everything was genuinely OKAY finally.

"This is sooooo nice" Steven said after what felt like minutes passed in silence, a smile in his voice. He didn't show any signs of letting up any time soon.

Andrew let his face fall against Steven's neck, settling in. Suddenly, he felt like he was at home.

"Yeah, Steven" Andrew agreed enthusiastically, "This really is so nice"


End file.
